Beverage dispensers, such as those used for carbonated soft drinks and the like, are well known in the art. A beverage dispenser generally includes a series of syrup circuits and water circuits. The syrup circuits generally include a syrup source, an incoming syrup line, a syrup pump, a means of cooling the syrup, and a dispensing valve. The source of the syrup may be a bag-in-box, a figal, a syrup tank, or any other type of conventional syrup source. The syrup pump pumps the syrup from the syrup source on to the cooling means and the dispensing nozzle. The cooling means may be a series of conventional syrup cooling coils located in an ice water bath or the cooling means may include a cold plate located under an ice chest. The syrup of the syrup circuits and the soda water from the water circuits are joined in the dispensing valve so as to produce the beverage. The beverage is then dispensed through a nozzle to the consumer.
The combination of these various beverage dispenser components, however, makes the construction or the repair of a beverage dispenser somewhat of a time consuming task. A typical beverage dispenser may have several of these syrup and water circuit components therein. The repair of a single component within the beverage dispenser generally requires the entire beverage dispenser to be taken out of service. Further, repair or replacement of any one of the components within a beverage dispenser may require the removal of several other components so as to gain access to the desired component.
For example, the removal of a single syrup pump from the beverage dispenser generally requires the entire beverage dispenser generally to be taken out of service. Replacement requires the removal of the various fittings connecting the pump to the syrup source and the cooling means and the removal of several screws, bolts, or other conventional types of fastening means. Removal of the syrup pump also inevitably leads to some spillage of the syrup within the pump or the lines. Further, each syrup pump generally has a number of accessories connected thereto. These accessories may include an air vent and an automatic selector valve. The air vent may be used to bleed the syrup line. The automatic selector valve is generally connected to two or more syrup sources. As one syrup source is extinguished, the automatic selector valve switches to the next source such that the syrup pump always has a continuous source of syrup. These accessories likewise must be removed whenever the syrup pump needs to be repaired or replaced.
What is needed, therefore, is a simplified means for the installation of and access to beverage dispenser components. These means should permit the quick installation and replacement of beverage dispenser components, such as a syrup pump or syrup pump accessories, without requiring the entire beverage dispenser to be shut down. Further, these goals must be accomplished in a cost efficient and safe manner.